BUREAU of Immigration (BI) Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued a warning against a new scam circulating online.
In an advisory, Tansingco said that they have received reports of foreign nationals being offered entry visas by agents charging as much as P20,000.
“We have received information that these unscrupulous individuals offer their services in securing visas, and issue orders purportedly coming from the BI,” said Tansingco.
Tansingco shared that the scammers used the logo of the BI, as well as misrepresented themselves as representatives from the Philippine Consulate in Australia.
“The scammers sent an order instructing the applicant to pay via money transfer,” said Tansingco. “That is a major red flag that’s why the applicant reported the incident to us,” he added.
“We have close coordination with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), and these kinds of online scams are considered cybercrime,” he warned.
He then appealed to the public to report incidents. “Do not deal with these scammers. If you encounter similar modus online, report it immediately to the BI and other law enforcement agencies,” he stated.
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